


Gone Drinkin'

by Denebola_Leo



Series: Tavern at the End of the World [3]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Cloud is a bad influence, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, Male Bonding, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21668485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denebola_Leo/pseuds/Denebola_Leo
Summary: Sometimes, Cloud likes an after dinner drink. Sometimes, he likes to have a little company.
Relationships: Cloud Strife & Squall Leonhart
Series: Tavern at the End of the World [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1503920
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Gone Drinkin'

**Author's Note:**

> FUFUFUFUFUFU
> 
> Yes, same continuity. as the last two. Noctis is probably taking a nap, that boy loves his naps. Thanks to SSD for the beta quicky!

“You’re coming over in a couple of days? It’s getting a little cramped…” Cloud rubbed the back of his head. “I mean Yuffie—okay, well, d’you mind sleeping in the kids’ room? Alright. See you then.”

Squall looked up from his book as he sat at the bar counter, his brow quirking up.  _ Who would be coming over and sleeping with the children?  _

As Cloud put away his phone he turned to Squall. “Well. Care for a drink?”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

Cloud nodded and turned back around to rummage through various bottles of booze stocked in the bar. “I’m gonna drink somethin’ hard. You want something a bit weaker? Corel wine is pretty good.”

_ I’m not a kid. _ “I’ll have whatever you’re drinking.”

The blond turned his head, faintly smirked, then brought a bottle of dark brown whiskey to the counter. “Suit yourself.”

He filled two glasses with ice and whiskey, then went around the counter to sit next to Squall. “I talked to a friend earlier. He said he’d look into what he can.”

“Hm.” Squall fingered his glass, glancing over at Cloud as he took a long sip of his drink. “I guess it could be worse. We could all be on Planet B again.”

Cloud chuckled. “Yeah. I’d rather take a trip to any other world than that one again.”

Grasping the glass in his hand, Squall took his first sip. He quickly swallowed, and it burned all the way down. It caused him to blanch, and he quietly blew out a breath.  _ That tasted like floor stripper! _

“You alright?” Cloud asked with a small, knowing smile.

“Yep.” He sipped again.

“If you say say so.”

They grew quiet as they drank. Squall tried to focus on his book. The subject was about the local area. It was slowly becoming less interesting the more he partook in the whiskey. Staring at a paragraph, he pointed at it. “It says here that Edge was founded...around two years ago?”

Cloud leaned towards him to look at the page. “Oh. Three years, now.”

“It looks...older.”

The blond shrugged, then went for the bottle to top off their drinks. He swirled the whiskey in his hand lazily. “It’s made from older materials, so it looks the part,” he said around the rim of his glass.

_ Oh.  The city ruins. _ “I see.”

“What’s it like in your world?” Cloud asked suddenly.

“Uh, well…” Squall swallowed down some more whiskey; he was beginning to appreciate the warm feeling in his belly. “It depends on the country. Galbadia is more militaristic, while Esthar is scientifically advanced.

“There’s a train system that connects Galbadia to Balamb, which is where I grew up. The Centra continent was obliterated by a Lunar Cry almost a hundred years ago.” Squall sipped again. 

Cloud scrunched his brows together. “...What’s a Lunar Cry?”

“It’s when a bunch of monsters gather in one spot on the Moon, and then they fall onto the planet. I guess you don’t have that here.” He tapped his fingers against the counter. “Your moon is a lot smaller than ours.”

“Huh. So, what’s Balamb like?”

Squall shrugged a shoulder. He stared off at the bottles standing neatly on the wall, drink held near his lips. “It’s a little island nation. It’s nice. I like visiting the town there with Rinoa.” He blinked a few times, trying to recollect his memories; even recent ones were fuzzy, but they were clearing without a Guardian Force equipped. “It’s warm year-round. There’s a...military school there that I went to.”   
  
“So that’s where you learned to fight?”

“Yep. We’re called SeeDs.”

Cloud tilted his head to the side a little. “A...SeeD?”

Squall nodded back. “Yeah. We’re mercenaries, but our primary goal is to stop evil sorceresses.”

“But what does it stand for?”

“That’s on a need to know basis.” _As if I actually know._ He sipped again. “What about you?”

Cloud blinked. “Me?”

“Yeah, where’re you from?”

The blond looked away. “I’m from the other continent. Tifa and me are from the same backwater village.”

“Oh. What brought you here?” Squall closed the book and put it to the side, then moved his glass to sit in front of him.

Cloud shrugged. “A lot of things,” he replied as he slowly turned his head back. He pursed his lips and looked into the distorted reflection dancing on the ice and whiskey. “I was just a stupid kid. Wanted to prove myself in the military.

“I came to Midgar...wanting to be in Soldier, an elite military force.” He let out a small grunt and lifted his glass. “Wasn’t qualified.”

_ Not qualified…? _ Squall had seen him cut through a large boulder like it was butter with his oversized sword. He wondered who could qualify if Cloud didn’t. 

“Ended up as an MP. I...had to quit after a couple of years because of...personal reasons,” he ended on a slightly bitter note.

“Huh.” Squall looked at his half filled drink. “Tifa said she had another bar under Midgar. Is that why?”

Cloud shook his head. “No, no...But she found me, and I stayed with her there.” He gulped down the rest of his whiskey and eyed the bottle. “Anyway, enough about the past. So, like I said, I talked to a friend about this mess...”

“Uh, yeah. We gotta get home somehow.” Squall frowned down at the counter in front of him. “I wonder if Rinoa can do something…”   
  
Cloud’s brow knitted together. “How can she do somethin’?”

“I dunno. She’s a sorceress. Why didn’t I think of that sooner…?” The teen scratched his scar with his thumb.

“Heh, maybe you just needed a drink to loosen up,” the blond suggested with a quiet chuckle.

Squall nodded with slight exaggeration. “Yeah...Guess it expanded my horizontals.”

“Expanded your what?”

“Shit.” Squall groaned into his hand as he rubbed his face, his cheeks glowing redder. 

Cloud couldn’t help but laugh, straight from his belly. He leaned into the counter, chuckling all the while. “You really are Laguna’s son!”

“Whatever.”

Cloud smiled back at him, then teasingly shook the whiskey bottle. “‘Nother round?”

“Let me sober up a little, first.” Squall cracked a small grin. 

“Okay, okay. So, how did you meet Rinoa?”

“Well, that’s a long story…”


End file.
